Literary History of Sanskrit Buddhism

Chapter I introduces the two major Buddhist literary and doctrinal orientations, usually described as Hīnayāna and Mahāyāna. It explains the distinction between the older ideal of Arhatship and the Mahāyāna ideal of the Bodhisattva, together with the enlarged devotional and salvific framework of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Chapter II discusses the Sanskrit Buddhist canon and the problem of Buddhist sacred languages. It emphasizes the importance of Sanskrit and mixed Sanskrit sources, many of which survive only through Tibetan and Chinese translations. Chapter III studies the Mahāvastu, its Jātaka materials, Purāṇic affinities, Mahāyāna tendencies, and antiquity. Chapter IV analyzes the Lalitavistara, especially its account of the Buddha’s conception, birth, education, and acts, as well as its relation to Buddhist art. Chapter V examines Aśvaghoṣa and his school, including the Buddhacarita, the Sūtrālaṅkāra, the Vajrasūcī, Mātṛceṭa, and other Buddhist poets. Chapter VI surveys Avadāna literature, including the Avadānaśataka, Aśokāvadāna, and related narrative traditions. Chapter VII presents major Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, Kāraṇḍavyūha, Sukhāvatīvyūha, Laṅkāvatāra, Samādhirāja, Suvarṇaprabhāsa, and Rāṣṭrapāla Sūtra. Chapter VIII discusses Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Asaṅga, Candragomin, and Śāntideva, with attention to philosophy, doctrine, and moral ideals. Chapter IX treats stotras, dhāraṇīs, and tantras. Chapter X considers proposed similarities between Buddhism and Christianity. Chapters XI–XIII address ancient Indian national literature, the beginnings of Indian studies in Europe, and the chronology of Indian literature.